Culture

At his rehearsal studio in Bellevue, wearing pink and red socks emblazoned with “Whim W’him,” choreographer Olivier Wevers is clearly in his element. “Push the arms, but don’t swing them,” he gently directs his dancers, modeling the subtle difference. “Focus on the wrists.” This month, the former Pacific Northwest Ballet principal presents the first performance by Whim W’him (the dance troupe he founded in 2009) in its new incarnation as a full-time dance company.

When we first discovered Twin Peaks was slated to return with a new season in 2016, it was still unclear whether actor Kyle MacLachlan would reprise his role as Agent Cooper. Now, it's official that he will indeed star in the revival! Alrighty then! (Sorry, that's a Trey MacDougal reference.)

Upon being commissioned to create a new orchestral piece for the Seattle Symphony, composer and clarinetist Angelique Poteat, who turns 29 this month, immediately set to work immersing herself in the oeuvre of her musical inspiration: Pearl Jam.

In this bi-monthly Seattlemag.com column, Knute Berger--who writes regularly for Seattle Magazine and Crosscut.com and is a frequent pundit on KUOW--takes an in-depth look at some of the highly topical and sometimes polarizing issues in our city.

Paseo is back! New owner Ryan Santwire quietly reopened the doors of the original Fremont location yesterday for fear of the kitchen becoming overrun. Nonetheless, the legendary sandwich shop that closed suddenly last November amid allegations of unfair pay and other poor treatment for workers had 50 customers in the first half hour.

Must BravoSeattle Opera's Opening Night of Tosca Saturday (1/10, 7:30 p.m.) A power-crazed chief of police. Fake bullets replaced with real ones. A fatal plunge off a parapet! Puccini’s Tosca is the archetypical opera, with more melodrama than an episode of Scandal and a spicy score that keeps things racing toward the foregone conclusion. Don't miss out on the snazzy after party, where guests are whisked backstage for champagne, dinner and dancing.

As the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas speeds along for another day, we're hearing inklings of some very cool innovations--Audi previewing a self-driving car, for one. And yesterday during the event, Microsoft unveiled the Nokia 215, which Fast Company reports is slated to retail in markets such as Africa, Asia and the Middle East for a mere $29.

When an East Coast friend of mine recently moved here to work for a prominent, Seattle-based nonprofit, he was tossing what he considered trash at his new office when a coworker shook her head.
"That's a real quick way to make enemies here."

In a small, private Belltown event space, members of Seattle band St. Paul de Vence begin tuning a trumpet and strumming a banjo. As the audience settles in on this winter evening, there’s electricity in the air—a sense that something exciting is afoot, and the people here are lucky witnesses. Everyone is on “the list,” an open-to-all email sign-up for Seattle Living Room Shows (seattlelivingroomshows.com), the live music series that takes place in small venues and private homes once or twice each month.

Need a good cuddle from a complete stranger? Make your way down to Portland, where a woman has turned the up-close-and-personal behavior into a profession. According to King 5's Evening Magazine, professional cuddler Samantha Hess charges $35 for a 30-minute snuggle session and $60 for a full hour. And should you book her services, don't get any funny ideas. She doesn't allow any naughty behavior.

On New Year's Eve, my husband and I each downed a dirty martini and shared two bottles of brut Champagne. Though he was kicking my tail at a rousing game of Monopoly (damn him for always snagging Marvin Gardens), our low-key bubbly- and vodka-fueled evening was a splendid way to ring in 2015.

It's back to the grind and those heartfelt resolutions of yesterweek are already starting to waver. Going for more calm, balance, joyfulness and efficiency this year? Learning to sit still may be what will put it all in motion. Check out this range of local meditation drop-in and series classes, some with dharma talks included, and for those wanting more, a ten-day silent intensive course two hours south.
1. Kadampa Meditation Center (KMC) Washington

Known for her wisteria-colored hair, cat-eye spectacles, regal composure and biting wit, Australian comedy goddess Dame Edna Everage (Barry Humphries) has been entertaining audiences for nearly a half-century. But sadly, the empress of satire is calling it quits; this year, she embarks on Dame Edna’s Glorious Goodbye: The Farewell Tour (1/15–1/18. The Moore Theatre; stgpresents.org). Her final traipse through America starts in Seattle—don your sparkliest gown and don’t miss it.